1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add sausage meat and fry, breaking up bits with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned and beginning to cook through. Spoon off any excess fat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes or until soft and beginning to brown a little and sausage is no longer pink. Add onions and spinach and stir until everything is mixed and glossy. Remove pan from heat and let cool slightly.
2. Layer bread slices over bottom of dish. Spoon sausage mixture over bread. In a blender, combine eggs, milk, salt, pepper, Worcestershire, and hot pepper sauce and blend until smooth. Pour mixture evenly over sausage mixture. Top with Canadian Cheddar cheese. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.
3. When ready to serve, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 Celsius). Uncover dish and bake strata for 50 to 60 minutes, or until puffed and top is crispy and golden. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Cooking Tips: If you’re using a round loaf of sourdough bread, cut the slices from the centre to get the largest slices from the loaf for this recipe. Use the rest of the loaf for sandwiches or cut into cubes and toast for croutons.
Once assembled, strata can be frozen, wrapped well in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, for up to 1 month. Defrost in refrigerator overnight before baking.

Prepare a holiday breakfast in advance for more time with loved ones

Dishes that you can make ahead of time can be a big help during the holidays. When you get together with family and friends, you can spend more time having fun and less time working.

For appetizers, you can prepare Blue Cheese and Pear Tarts up to two days in advance, storing them in an airtight container in the fridge after baking. With this recipe from Dairy Farmers of Canada, you fill frozen tart shells with caramelized onions, crumbled Canadian Blue cheese, roasted pear pieces and a cream mixture.

When you are ready to serve the small baked tarts, you can reheat them in the oven for a few minutes or serve them at room temperature.

Planning a special holiday breakfast, perhaps on Christmas Day? You can start preparing Wild Mushroom, Sausage and Spinach Strata the night before and refrigerate it about eight to 12 hours. (You also have the option of assembling it well in advance and putting it in the freezer, for up to a month.) In the morning, you just put the strata in the oven for about 50 to 60 minutes

If you want a holiday dessert that is a change from the usual cookies and squares, you can make Chocolate Espresso Bread Pudding, using dark chocolate. After pouring the chocolate mixture over the bread, you refrigerate it at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours.

Then, you bake the pudding about 40 to 45 minutes and serve it warm, with whipped cream if you want. You probably will have enough pudding for about 10 to 12 servings.